Transport editor Tristan McAllister has had enough of the delays and excuses: he wants to see a high-speed rail project given the go-ahead in the US quicker than you can say “Shinkansen”.

If you sit and read the headlines about high-speed rail in the US there’s no wonder it’s easy to become frustrated. They taunt us and hark back to the days that, as a country, we took great pride in making sure these mon…

This Christmas dig into some festive new sounds, some global hits in waiting and also some of the year’s overlooked gems.

Husband-and-wife duo Lionel and Marie Limiñana have absorbed some of the best bits of French pop music – the mischievous menace of Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc’s simple hooks, a generous helping of yé-yé – and combined…

Having probably given up on the locals at long last, the statue of Jesus Christ overlooking Rio de Janiero was dethroned as the world’s most famous last week.

Having probably given up on the locals at long last, the statue of Jesus Christ overlooking Rio de Janiero was dethroned as the world’s most famous last week. Thanks to the efforts of one determined priest and after five…

In the run up to Toronto’s city elections, Jason Li examines the flaws of democracy in the city and the huge job the new mayor will have on their hands.

Talk of democracy is in the air. From the dwindling protest camps in Hong Kong and the coffee shops in post-election Brazil to towns across Scotland, conversations are taking place on what democracy should look like today…

This weekend seek out the dream-like works of US photographer Maura Sullivan in Istanbul, enjoy comic book-influenced images from Iceland in Lyon, and check out the new album from Canadian musician Lydia Ainsworth.

Canadian creatives are using a multimedia approach to explore the urban-suburban relationship in a new exhibition at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre entitled Making Arrangements. A highlight is the work of Toronto-based…

Out in the UAE last week – up and down the Sheikh Zayed road from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and back again in heat hazes and sandstorms, the place seemed different to last time I was there – to look at art, at least – three years…

Out in the UAE last week – up and down the Sheikh Zayed road from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and back again in heat hazes and sandstorms, the place seemed different to last time I was there – to look at art, at least – three years…

A year from today, the long-awaited Berlin Brandenburg International airport (BBI) will open next to the site of Berlin-Schönefeld, finally ending a long and drawn out game of airport musical chairs. The new airport will…

A year from today, the long-awaited Berlin Brandenburg International airport (BBI) will open next to the site of Berlin-Schönefeld, finally ending a long and drawn out game of airport musical chairs. The new airport will…

Each year Milan’s Salone continues to sprawl into more of the city’s neighbourhoods, with more events, cocktails and sideshows to lure visitors away from the never-ending Rho fairgrounds. One of this year’s must-sees of…

An older sibling to the furniture fair – the venue has hosted exhibits dedicated to industrial design since the 1940s – the site is a welcome respite due to its small footprint and neatly curated rooms. It’s no surprise…

This weekend check out a mischievous collection of paintings and ceramics in London, head to the Middle East’s premier art event Art Dubai, and get lost in the immersive new album from Philadelphia band The War on Drugs.

London-based illustrator Robert Nicol brings some mischief to the Breese Little gallery on Great Sutton Street this weekend. Nicol plays God in his 10 pastel-hued
acrylic paintings, creating a world with scant regard for…

No matter what you build on the waterfront of Sydney Harbour these days, chances are it won’t be liked.

No matter what you build on the waterfront of Sydney Harbour these days, chances are it won’t be liked. In a city whose crowning glory is the Opera House, the bar for architecture is set high and new buildings in the Cen…

Technical innovation, artistic acumen and an improving economy: it’s a good time to think about setting up home in Japan.

By the time you read this I will be packing. After two and a half years in London I’m moving back to Australia - probably to pursue my dream of becoming an Akubra-wearing kangaroo tamer with a taste for meat pies and Fos…

This weekend explore world-class installations around the Swiss mountain resort of Gstaad, check out two shows celebrating female artistic empowerment in Milan, and enjoy the new album by LA band Warpaint.

Earlier this week icy Gstaad saw the launch of the Elevation 1049 outdoor exhibition, with over 20 Swiss artists making site-specific art in the alpine town. Produced by the local art organization LUMA& Foundation, the…

Yes, they can look pretty, but Diana Balmori’s landscaping projects can also change cities, make people happier and healthier and battle climate change. A pioneer of the green roofs movement, she helped build New York’s…